Whats wrong with Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering is a radical technology that breaks down genetic barriers between humans, plants and animals. Once released, these genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can easily spread and interbreed with other organism, and they are virtually impossible to recall back to the laboratory.

Monsanto provides roughly 90% of GMO seed in the world. These seeds have been genetically modified to produce their own pesticide or survive repeated spraying of their toxic herbicide Roundup. Monsanto’s GMOs are not designed to increase yields to feed the world, but rather to increase Monsanto’s profits by increasing the use of chemicals such as Roundup and selling their high-priced patented seeds which farmers must buy every year.

Due to the enormous political clout of Monsanto, the American public is being denied the right to know whether their foods are genetically engineered or not. Following is a list of 10 facets about Monsanto and GMOs, and how they can adversely affect your health, local framers, and the planet.

Monsanto Products Pollute the Developing World

Monsanto’s deadly legacy includes the production of Agent Orange and DDT. Now massive aerial spraying of Roundup in Colombia is being used by the US and the Colombian government as a counter-insurgency tactic, contaminating food crops and poising villagers.

GMO Foods Lead to Food Allergies

In March 1999, UK researchers at the York Laboratory were alarmed to discover that reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year. Genetically modified soy had recently entered the UK from US imports and the soy used in the study was largely GM.

Lack of Adequate Safety Testing

In may 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle announced the FDA’s anticonsumer right-to-know policy which stated that GMO foods need not be labeled nor safety-tested. Meanwhile, prominent scientists such as Arpad Pusztai and Gilles-Eric Seralini have publicized alarming research revealing severe damage to animals fed GMO foods.

Monsanto Blocking Government Regulations

A revolving door exists between Monsanto and US regulatory and judicial bodies making key decisions. Justice Clanerce Thomas, a former Monsanto lawyer, was the one who wrote the majority opinion on a key Monsanto case. Michael Taylor once worked the the FDA, later represented Monsanto as a lawyer, then returned as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Policy when RBGH was granted approval.

GMO Crops Do Not Increase Yields

A major UN/World Bank-sponsored report complied by 400 scientists and endorsed by 58 countries concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of poverty, hunger, and climate change. Better alternatives are available, and the report championed organic farming as the sustainable was forward for developing countries.

No GMO Labeling Laws in the US

Foods containing GMOs don’t have to be labeled in the US. Monsanto has fought hard to prevent labeling laws. This is alarming, since approximately 70% of processed foods in the US now contain GMO ingredients. The European Union, Japan, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and many other nations now require mandatory GMO labeling.

Monsanto Guilty of False Advertising

France’s highest court ruled in 2009 that Monsanto had lied about the safety of its weed killers Roundup. The court confirmed as earlier judgement that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as “biodegradable”.

Monsanto Puts Small Farmers our of Business

Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto’s Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated their patent rights, and forced Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousand of dollars in damages. This type of biotech bullying is happening all over North America.

Monsanto Controls US Soy Market

In 1996, when Monsanto began selling Roundup Ready soybeans, only 2% of soybeans in the US contained their patented gene. By 2008, over 90% of soybeans in the US contained Monsanto‘s gene & used Genetic Engineering.